


You Can Go Ahead And Let Me Drown Now

by Aaronna



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Medical bending, No beta: we die like men, POV Suki (Avatar), POV Toph Beifong, POV Zuko (Avatar), Post-Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Suki doesn't want to be the Adult of the group, Suki has adopted Zuko, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko underestimates his importance, Zuko's new family will fight his old one for him, all typos and grammar mistakes are my own, as her brother, hurt toph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: "How could you possibly think that jumping off a cliff onto an airship was a good idea!?""I needed to stop her! She would have killed someone!""Yeah, like you! After Aang, you are one person we need to be safe! He needs to master fire! Without you, how do you expect him to do that! He knows enough Earth and Water that the four of us aren't as important to the Avatar as you are, you idiot!"
Relationships: Suki & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Suki & Zuko, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 24
Kudos: 465
Collections: Fantastic A:TLA Fanfics!





	You Can Go Ahead And Let Me Drown Now

**Author's Note:**

> I read some stories where Aang used airbending to breath for someone and Katara bending water and mucus out of lungs and BANG! This story idea wouldn't leave me alone. Don't ask me which stories they were... I have read several thousand fics since those, so I don't even know...

Toph was stone cold furious. How could Sparky be so careless? Seriously, what had the idiot been thinking? If he even had, which was part of why she was so angry.

"How could you possibly think that jumping off a cliff onto an airship was a good idea!?"

"I needed to stop her! She would have killed someone!"

"Yeah, like you! After Aang, you are one person we need to be safe! He needs to master fire! Without you, how do you expect him to do that! He knows enough Earth and Water that the four of us aren't as important to the Avatar as you are, you idiot!"

She couldn't feel where he was in Appas saddle, but based on where his voice had come from, she was fairly sure she was glaring at the right place. She had felt him jump and hadn't known for sure he had survived until he was caught as he fell off the giant balloon! She liked Sparky! She had been worried, not that he seemed to care!

"I am not that important. Its not like I am a master."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Was he really that oblivious? How could he think that?

"I don't know who told you that, but I am fairly sure they were lyin-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as she suddenly felt Appa disappear from under her. Usually she would have been holding onto the saddle, but she had let go to gesture angrily at Sparky. Now she was falling. She just hoped she survived the fall.

'(•V•)'

Suki completely agreed with the Avatar's earthbending teacher, prince Zuko was not expendable. He was a formidable bender, Aang trusted him, and actually seemed to feel bad about what he had done in the past.

She saw how he fought at the Boiling Rock. He was also a match for the princess, who was said to be the 4th best firebender after her father, uncle, and Admiral Jeong Jeong. That put him higher than most masters, yet he seemed to think he wasn't skilled. It was mind boggling how low his self-image was. She heard what his sister had said to him, so she knew who to blame for his lack of confidence. 

She would have told Toph to lay off him, but she had seen how worried the girl had been when the prince's feet left the stone of the temple. If arguing with prince Zuko helped her calm down and stop worrying, it was a small price to pay. That was until they hit rough air and those two got thrown out because they had been too busy waving angrily at each other instead of holding onto the saddle.

She knew from past experience that Toph couldn't swim. If they didn't find her quickly, the Avatar was going to be short a teacher. She just prayed that the prince could hold on until they rescued the girl.

'(•V•)'

Zuko was tired from his fight with Azula, but he had too much adrenaline flowing through him to sit calmly, not that that had been an option. Toph had been shaking and yelling at him since they got out of sight of his sister. He didn't understand why she was so worked up. He was an outsider to their group. Someone who had chased them mercilessly. Why did she care what happened to him? 

Aang could always find another firebending teacher, a master even. Someone like that fire sage who helped them on the solstice would be a much better instructor than a banished prince who never got past basic forms. He was also the only one who could distract Azula while everyone escaped 

He was letting the earthbender rant herself out when they hit turbulence and he was thrown from the bison's back. Looking around in a panic, he saw he wasn't the only one plummeting towards the bay below. Toph was falling too, and he was almost positive that a blind noble girl had never been taught how to swim.

He promised himself he would help her moments before he hit the water. It was like the destruction of the Wani all over again, only this time, he wasn't alone. He had someone depending on him and those still on Appa would fish them out as soon they could. He survived then and they would both make it out this time.

Despite his aching ribs and sore arms, Zuko rushed to where he thought Toph hit the waves. She hadn't come back up, so the prince dove. His body screamed, but he kept pushing. Thankfully, she wasn't hard to spot, but getting her to the surface was harder than he expected. 

When they finally broke the surface, Zuko gulped as much air as he could get and coughed up some of the water he had inhaled. That was when he noticed Toph hadn't even moved, let alone coughed. That wasn't good.

"Damn it, Toph! Breath!"

He tred in the water as he tried to position the limp girl in his arms so he could force some of the ocean from her lungs. He got some out, but she still wasn't breathing. Cursing under his breath, he tilted her head back and placed his mouth over hers and blew breath into hers. When he felt the air from his breath flee through her nose, he clamped it shut with the arm he had cradling her head and tried again.

He tried three more times, getting mouthfuls of water in the process, before the water they were in rose up and a shadow fell over them. Zuko had never been so happy to see Katara. If anyone could help Toph, she could. He just hoped it wasn't too late.

He laid there in the saddle trying to catch his breath as he watched a stream of water was pulled from Toph's mouth. He watched with thundering heart as Aang's bending forced the small chest to rise and fall as hands covered in glowing liquid did their job. A blanket was wrapped around him as a gurgling wet gasp broke the silence.

Relief flooded his mind, allowing his body to slump in exhaustion. Between Azula and his dip in the sea, he was wiped out. He was asleep only moments later.

'(•V•)'

Suki could hardly believe it. Not only did prince Zuko survive the fall from Appa, he found Toph and was trying to get her to breath while tredding frigid water. She wasn't sure how he had the energy to do all that after his fight with his sister, but he did.

She made sure to get him a blanket to ward off the wind as Sokka piloted them to the nearest island and Aang and Katara worked to save Toph. He passed out right after the girl started breathing on her own, likely because even his stubbornness couldn't stand up to the relief that the earthbender was going to make it. She sat by him, to make sure he didn't fall out again, until right before they landed. 

'(•V•)'

When she woke up, she almost wished she could have stayed asleep until her chest wasn't burning anymore. Her head was nearly as bad, but she had survived and that was all she could hope for. Smiling weakly, she allowed herself to slip back into unconsciousness. 

'(•V•)'

Zuko hadn't stayed asleep long. He had woken to them landing and tried to get up and off the bison's back. He hadn't expected to be so stiff and sore, so he ended up confused and tangled in his blanket. Suki helped him wrestle the cloth off and assisted him in getting to his feet.

"You fought your sister and then kept yourself and Toph afloat in cold water. It's understandable that your muscles locked up a bit."

He had nodded and tried to get down from Appa gracefully, but ended up sliding off instead of jumping like he usually would. He wasn't the only one either. Sokka slid off the other side with Toph in his arms and set her down on the bare soil.

Katara started another healing session while Suki, Sokka, and Aang unloaded Appa and set up camp. Not wanting to just sit around, Zuko gathered some grass, leaves, and twigs and set to work getting a fire going. He used his bending to start the campfire, internally wincing at how hard it was to summon his inner flame.

His legs were stiff and sore, his shoulders burned, and his ribs throbbed, but he knew he was luckier than Toph. After all, he hadn't been the one who had stopped breathing when his lungs had filled with sea water. He had been on ship for almost three years, he knew that getting the water out was only the beginning. Fevers, lung infections, and damage to the brain from lack of air… He was worried that when she woke up, that she wouldn't be the Toph he knew, but with a bending healer, she had a better chance than most.

He must have gotten lost in his thoughts because he didn't realize camp was set up until a dry set of clothes were dropped beside him. Looking at the person who did it, he saw Sokka giving him a pointed look. That was when the traitor prince realized his clothes, while no longer dripping, were still wet. He nodded his understanding and the water tribe warrior gave him a small smile before moving over to the healer and patient with a bedroll and blanket. 

He bit back a groan as he got to his feet. His legs were stiff, but he could deal with that, what really hurt was his ribs. He knew they were bruised in the fall, but they hurt more than he expected. In his own tent, he stripped off the damp garments, slowly and painfully, giving him his first look at his chest. He hadn't realized that the damage hadn't just been on the one side where he hit the water, but the other side as well. He must have taken more hits than he thought from his sister. Add in the pressure of the water, using his chest to brace Toph as he tried to force water from her lungs, and breathing deeply to sustain two, it made sense his ribs were in protest.

He prodded each bone gently and decided none were broken before he pulled on his dry clothes. He wrestled with himself for a moment trying to decide if he should go tend the fire to make up for not helping set up camp or to lay down to ease the pressure on his injuries so he would be in better condition to instruct Aang in the morning. A shiver made the decision for him. At least he could still be useful while he got the chill of the ocean out of his bones.

If he fell asleep by the fire roughly an hour later, only Katara mentioned it, but it was free of her usual venom.

'(•V•)'

Toph woke up enough to feel hard earth at her feet. Despite her achiness and exhaustion, she felt for her friends. She felt Sugar Queen only a few steps away. She heard Twinkletoes by where she felt Appa. Suki and Snoozles were in the distance collecting firewood by her guess. And then there was Sparky, fast asleep by the fire.

Knowing everyone was safe, she allowed herself to fall back to sleep.

'(•V•)'

'Poor guy' she thought as she helped the groggy firebender untangle himself from the now wet blanket. He was wincing and groaning softly in what appeared to be frustration. It was kind of adorable. 

"You fought your sister and then kept yourself and Toph afloat in cold water. It's understandable that your muscles locked up a bit."

She smiled at the exhausted head bob she got in response. The smile widened as he almost elegantly slid down Appa's side to the ground instead of his usual leap. He seemed more clear headed as he started gathering tinder and kindling, so she helped the boys set up camp while Katara kept Toph stable.

They had everything set up when she noticed the prince shivering slightly by the fire with a distant look. Thankfully, all it took was a nod in the firebender's direction to get Sokka moving. She frowned at how long it took him to get up, but given how long he had been swimming in water that cold, some stiffness was normal, but this was prince Zuko. She saw how graceful he had been after his time in the freezer. This was different. 

When he came back out of the tent, she saw him shiver as he moved to the fire. She wanted to give him a blanket, but until she got Aang to bend the water out of the one she gave him earlier, there wasn't one to spare since everyone else had lent theirs to Toph. She couldn't ask Katara to give one up for Zuko, not with how much she seemed to hate him.

The only other thing she could do was gather wood to keep the fire going. It was summer, but nights were cool here. It wasn't odd for her to gather firewood. If Sokka followed like a lovesick polar bear dog, who was she to complain. 

She almost cooed when she saw the firebender asleep by the fire. He had to be exhausted. Even Sokka seemed happy to see Zuko getting some rest. Katara made a comment about laziness, but it was nothing compared to her usual rants. 

She kept the others away from fire so Zuko wouldn't get disturbed, but that only lasted so long. Eventually, the fire started to go out, so she went over to feed it some of the sticks she and Sokka had collected. She wasn't sure if it was the sound, movement, or something else, but she ended up startling him awake. Feeling bad for it, she avoided his eyes.

When sitting up caused him to cough, Suki felt worry well up in her. Poor Zuko looked puzzled by the involuntary action, but then he blushed when he met her gaze.

"Sorry. I bruised my side a bit in the fall. Sitting up pinched it a bit."

'Oh thank goodness!' She thought. That explained a lot. Firebenders need controlled breaths to bend. Getting bruised in the fall would mean his breathing was off, keeping him from warming himself. Cold muscles were stiff. Bruises explained the difference between now and that freezer.

Well if he was still cold, staying near the fire was a good idea. She had just the thing to keep him near it that even Katara couldn't complain about. Food.

"Want to help me start dinner? Katara has her hands full with Toph, so I thought I'd cook"

His relief was palatable. Smiling, she gathered some supplies and set him to chopping up the roots and tubers. When he was done, he started making tea, which she agreed was a good idea.

After everyone ate, Suki could tell Zuko was fighting to stay awake. Looking around, she realized she was the only one not looking like a stiff breeze would knock them over. Well, it looked like she was going to have to be the adult tonight.

"Alright. I'll take the first watch. Everyone get some sleep."

She couldn't help but eye the drowsy firebender when she said it. Then he had the nerve to think about offering to take a shift. She would know that look anywhere. Her girls used to pull it when they thought they had something to prove. In fact, Zuko reminded her a lot of her fellow Kyoshi warriors, which was an interesting thought to say the least. She gave him the look she gave the girls and it worked like a charm.

She waited until the prince was in his tent before she told Sokka she would wake him for the second shift. Katara tried to get out of sleeping, but pointing out she could sleep by Toph shut that down before it could get loud. Soon enough, Suki was the only one awake.

'(•V•)'

Zuko woke up with a start as more wood was being added to the fire he was meant to be tending. Looking to the source of the fuel, the former prince saw Suki actively ignoring his napping on duty. Looking around, he didn't see anything that showed that the others had seen him slacking off. 

Sitting up properly, he was surprised by a sudden bout of coughing. The Kyoshi warrior gave him a concerned look, which set off a blush in the young firebender.

"Sorry. I bruised my side a bit in the fall. Sitting up pinched it a bit."

Relief and understanding replaced the earlier look on the girl's face. 

"Want to help me start dinner? Katara has her hands full with Toph, so I thought I'd cook"

Thankful for a task that kept him by the warmth of the fire, he nodded. He wasn't sure why he was still cold, given it was summer and he had been by the fire for a while, but seawater was known for leaching heat, so he wasn't overly concerned. He figured he just needed to soak in a bit more sunlight and rest a bit.

Sadly, by the time he got the vegetables chopped and tea brewed, he realized he might have a fever. He still felt chilled and achy, but he noticed he had started sweating. He knew he had a good enough reason to be sick, but he only had a limited number of days left to train the Avatar before the kid had to face the Firelord. He didn't have time to sweat this out and it wasn't safe to teach with a fever. 

Thankfully, dinner was done quickly and without incident. Katara got Toph to eat a little, despite the girl not even waking up to do so, so some of Zuko's worries settled down, leaving him even more tired. Suki must have noticed, because she announced she would take first watch while everyone else got some sleep. He was glad she hadn't singled him out with the exception of a pointed look when he opened his mouth to offer to cover the second shift.

Instead of arguing, he nodded and moved to his tent. He hadn't realized how stiff he was until he relaxed into his bedroll. He fell asleep almost as soon as his blanket was in place.

'(•V•)'

Toph felt something was wrong. She couldn't quite tell what was wrong, given she was asleep, but it was bad enough that it was pulling her out of the deep healing sleep she was in and into the waking world, so it had to be bad. She felt around for her friends and her gut lurched. 

"Sparky!" She yelled as loud as her aching lungs and throat allowed, but it was barely understandable. 

She felt Sweetness rush to her side and that made her mad. She wasn't the one who needed a healer! Go to the person who really needed help!

"Toph! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Toph had never been so happy that the waterbender was so loud. Her exclamation brought the others running. Hopefully one of them would listen before it was too late.

"Sparky."

"What did she say?"

"I think she is asking for Zuko."

"I'll go get him."

See. Snoozles knew to ask, Twinkletoes understood her, and Suki was off to see that there was someone who needed them more than she did. She ignored the others as she focused on the barely breathing form of her friend alone on the other side of the camp.

"Katara! Aang!"

The desperation in the fan girl's voice and her knees landing beside Sparky was all the reason Toph needed to move the ground under the pair over to the dying fire. She just hoped that Sparky's fire wasn't dying too. 

The group ran over and there was so much going on that she could barely keep up with all of it. She heard Suki say he had blue fingers as the fire was built back up. She thought she heard something about drowning, but he had been fine earlier and he was dry, so she wasn't sure she had heard that part right. There was some bending, a tent getting moved, blankets being gathered, and some colorful language that Toph had every intention of using in the future. 

Once she felt Sparky's heartbeat grow stronger and his lungs fill in a regular pattern, she stopped keeping herself awake out of pure stubbornness, but not until she had moved herself much closer to the group so that Sugar Queen didn't have to leave Sparky to check on her. If it helped her feel him better, bonus. Also, the heat from the fire felt really nice as she drifted off.

'(•V•)'

Suki had been walking the perimeter when "Toph! You're awake!" rang out through camp. She watched as Aang and Sokka practically fell over themselves in the dark trying to get to Toph's side. As she approached, she could hear the girl trying to say something, but she couldn't make it out.

"What did she say?"

The warrior was glad it wasn't just her who hadn't understood the earthbender. Sokka being confused made her feel much better.

"I think she is asking for Zuko."

'Maybe she wants to kiss her new savior' she thought as she told them she'd get the prince. She was actually surprised he hadn't popped out of his tent to check on Toph like the others had. He must have really been tired to sleep through Katara's announcement. 

Opening the flap of the tent, Suki's chest tightened. Zuko was dead still. Only the high whine of quick, shallow breaths kept her from thinking death had claimed him.

She knew she yelled for the two people who could possibly help save him as she fell to her knees beside him. Next thing she knew, she was by the embers of the fire and there was a group descending on her location. Glowing water and puffs of air got her brain back in gear and away from her frozen panic.

Sokka got her to step back and got to work building up the fire. But it was too late. She had already seen it.

"His fingers are blue." The words fell out of her mouth without permission. 

She knew this was bad. Blue nails was a sign of lack of air, but for that much blue… was he still going to be the same person he had been that morning? 

"He is dry drowning. I didn't think to check on him, what with Toph… He seemed fine."

Suki had heard of dry drowning before. She knew it was when someone who breathed in some water drowned from it hours later. That meant that between him falling from Appa and the rescue, while keeping Toph alive, Zuko had inhaled some of the sea and none of them had seen this coming. 

As the fire grew, Suki numbly watched Katara and Aang repeat the same activity they used on the earthbender earlier that day. This time, the liquid coming out of the lungs was thicker and Aang was having to be more careful since they found out Zuko had cracked ribs. 

As she watched, all she could think about was how useless she was. It was like being chi-blocked while the fire princess captured her girls all over again. If he survived, Suki had every intention of smacking him with one of her fans for scaring her. That 'if' was what worried her most.

No. There was no 'if'. He was going to be fine. She wasn't powerless. She needed to get up and do something useful.

He was half frozen, so she needed to help get him warm. Fires in tents weren't a great idea, but it was better than Zuko staying cold. If she stole all the sleeping bags/bedrolls, no one commented. 

She couldn't help the words spilling out of her mouth as Sokka lifted the shirt covering the midnight colored skin that was covering ribs that were cracked in more than one place. Her words when she realized the damage to his shoulder were entirely intentional. She was going to make sure he survived so she could kill him. Or at least his stupid belief that he wasn't worth being helped.

Yeah. If Aang didn't kill the Fire Lord, the man was going to feel the full wrath of Zuko's new sisters. She knew Toph and that the earthbender was going to be more than happy to help her. Ozai would pay and Zuko would get the sisterly affection his blood sister clearly wasn't giving him.  
'(•V•)'

Panic was the best description of his reaction to waking. He was too weak to move the heavy weight holding him down, his breathing was not listening to him, and all of that was terrifying, but he couldn't even slow his racing heart because he couldn't breathe right!

Then, there were hands, pain, too much sound, too much light. His heart was racing too hard, but he couldn't stop it! Then his breath just stopped and he was even more panicked.

After a small eternity, hot air was filling his lungs and there were fingers sealing his nose and something wet over his mouth. His heart slowed as he realized what was happening. He was too weak to breathe on his own and someone was doing it for him. He just prayed to Agni that it wasn't Sokka's mouth on his as he was pulled back down into oblivion.

'(•V•)'

Waking to Sparky's heart trying to escape his chest was bad. Realizing that the others were crowding him while he wasn't really awake was worse. Well, not all of the others. Suki was trying to get them to back off a bit.

Sadly, those three seemed to be completely ignoring her. She was too tired to really think it through, but she bent them out of the tent, which only made things worse. Now, Sparky couldn't even expand his lungs. Crap.

Wait. Was Fans kissing Sparky? What? Suki, why- Oh. She was breathing for both of them. Huh. Oh hey! That was helping. Good. Oh. Sparky was out again. 

Toph tried calling Sugar Queen back in, but when she took a deep breath to yell for her, she ended up in a coughing fit. Funny enough, that seemed to work just as well, seeing as Sweetness was at her side when she caught her breath. What was with her? Sparky was the one who needed help, not her.

"Katara. Toph is at least breathing on her own. Could you help here?"

Fans was a little breathless, but Toph was glad someone was using their head. Or mouth. Maybe they should bring Twinkletoes back in too. You know, Before Suki passes out.

She barely croaked out a warning before the warrior listed, gasping large, but shallow breaths. That seemed to get Sweetness to see the problem here. It was about time.

"Aang! Help Zuko! Sokka! Hey, Suki, deep breaths. In, hold for just a little bit, now release. Keep that up. Make sure she doesn't pass out. I am going to try another session."

Toph settled back down and tried to deepen her own breathing as she listened to Fans breath, Snoozles fret, Twinkletoes bend air to keep Sparky's fire from going out, and the creak of bones shifting under Sugar Queen's hands. Mostly, she focused on the rhythm beating in Sparky's chest. Soon enough, hers matched his as she fell asleep to her own, private lullaby.

'(▪V▪)'

Sometimes, Suki forgot she was the oldest in the group after the prince. Sokka wasn't too much younger, but he wasn't as experienced as she and Zuko were. Katara acted all mature, but she knew even less than her brother. Aang was Aang, enough said. Toph was smart and understood more than a kid of twelve should, but even she has moments of immaturity. All of which lead up to this.

Zuko had finally warmed up and moved even warmer until he was running a fairly high fever. Katara, being the group healer, seemed to think keeping the fever down was more important than mending the prince's ribs since they had an airbender breathing for him. Sokka was on fire duty while Toph slept. That was, until the firebender, who was used to having complete control of his breathing started to freak out.

It was completely understandable, to her at least, but the others seemed to overreact. Aang was trying to get his new sifu to wake all the way up, Katara was trying to soothe him back to sleep, and Sokka had a hand on the poor guy's damaged chest letting them know they were only making matters worse.

She tried to get them to back off a bit so he could figure out everything was alright, but they were ignoring her. That was when Toph woke up and bent the three of them away. Now, Zuko was alone and unmolested, but without Aang, he couldn't breathe. That was why she currently had her mouth on his.

A few days ago, if someone told her she would share saliva with the loud, angry firebender who set her village ablaze, she would have assumed they had taken too many hits to the head, spent too long in the freezer, or both, but here she was. Her life was crazy, so of course this was how things turned out. She really shouldn't be surprised. 

The three were alone in the tent for only as long as it took for Zuko to calm down. It would have lasted longer, but Toph took too deep a breath and fell into a coughing fit. Ever the mother, Katara was at the earthbender's side in a flash.

"Katara. Toph is at least breathing on her own. Could you help here?"

The Kyoshi warrior hated how winded she sounded, but she couldn't take a break from breathing for the prince long enough to regulate her own. If Katara had spent more energy on healing ribs and chest muscles instead of the fever, this wouldn't be necessary, but what did she know. She wasn't a waterbending healer, just someone who had been helping with similar injuries since she was a toddler, so of course Katara knew best. Less than a week with a healing master at the North Pole clearly was superior to 15 years of being a combat medic, obviously.

She was suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness and her ears filled with the sound of her own heartbeat. Not good. She was of no use like this.

"-In," 'no, I was just going to breath out twice in a row…' "hold for just a little bit," 'wonderful advice! Anymore brilliant insights. Oh, let me guess…' "now release." 'Yep. Truly wise…' "Keep that up." 'Aww, but I wanted to hold my breath and pout…' "Make sure she doesn't pass out. I am going to try another session." 'Wait, when did Aang go back to bending air for Zuko?' Okay, maybe she did need Sokka to keep an eye on her...

Slowly, the world around her stopped spinning and her heart stopped pounding in her ears. She hesitantly opened her eyes and, surprisingly, didn't immediately have to slam them shut. Across the fire, she saw Toph had fallen back to sleep and beside her, Katara and Aang were working diligently on their patient. His shirt raised to expose the prince's chest. 

The skin that had been black and violet with bruising was now green and yellow. His chest was rising and falling steadily, but not too deeply as glowing water moved gently across each rib, which were too prominent for a healthy individual. She wasn't going to kill or even hit him when he was better, she was going to feed him until he didn't look half starved.

If she found out his lack of padding was due to a certain waterbending healer/cook giving him smaller portions of meal due to her mistrust of him, there were going to be consequences. She knew he had been hiding out in the Earth Kingdom before going home with his sister, but surely he had gained some weight back while he was in the palace, right? Who was she kidding, he probably gave it all to war orphans instead of building himself back up to a healthy weight. 

But then again, he was surrounded by someone who almost passed out from breathing for two, a healer who hadn't rested all day, an airbender who took all the blame of the world on himself for having run away like the kid he was 100 years ago, a leader who ran off in the middle of the night to break into one of the Fire Nation's most secure prisons to rescue captured friends and family, and a 12-year-old blind kid who avoided feelings with violence yet seemed to keep always being in the right place to help those in need. How was he supposed to know he needed to take better care of himself? This was why they needed adults like Chief Hakoda and Chit Sang in their group. 

"Alright Aang ease off a little and see if he can breathe on his own."

Katara's words soothed Suki enough that she allowed herself to lean against Sokka while she watched. It was weak, but Zuko's chest was moving on its own. With some more water healing, his lungs took in more and more air with only the occasional stutter of an aborted cough.

"I think he will be fine on his own now."

"Good. Now, both of you, get some sleep before the next catastrophe. I'll take the first watch and wake you if something happens."

The Kyoshi warrior smiled up at Sokka. With him on watch, she could afford to relax a bit. She didn't even realize she was falling asleep until she was lowered to the ground and covered with a blanket stolen from Toph.

'(•V•)'

Zuko woke to see the sun setting, which confused him for a moment, seeing as he usually rose with the sun and was ready to sleep when it set. Last time he had slept through the day like this was in Ba Sing Se when he had that fever. Given how achy he felt now, he assumed it was another fever that affected his schedule this time as well.

To his left, he found Toph, fast asleep and breathing better than he had expected. Across the fire, Sokka was fighting sleep as Suki rested across his lap. The prince wasn't sure why they were all together in his tent with the fire inside with them, but he wasn't going to complain. He had missed the sound of someone sleeping nearby since he had betrayed Uncle, so the earthbender's snores were more soothing than annoying. 

The serenity of the moment was broken when his chest seemed to tighten and he started coughing. The rattling breaths, convulsing coughs, and blood pounding in his ears were all encompassing until a cool pressure against his sternum chased it all away. Opening his eyes, which he hadn't meant to close, he saw Katara hovering over him, the glowing of the healing water casting slight shadows against the harsh line of worry and concentration on her forehead.

When her eyes met his, relief flooded her face and a smile replaced the scowl of concentration. That was when he got carefully pulled into a group hug. Considering the cold, and often disdainful, shoulder Katara usually gave him, he was baffled about what had changed.

Maybe it was because he defended them against Azula? But she had been upset with him after he got her away from those falling rocks. Maybe it was saving Toph? She had warmed up slightly when he helped get her father out of prison, but from that to a hug was a stretch at best. So what had changed?

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!"

'Huh?'

"Yeah, Sifu Hotman. You should have told us you were hurt."

'Oh.'

"Umm, I am more worried about how a firebender almost froze to death in the middle of the summer."

'Ah, that explains a lot.'

"Guys, he just woke up. Give him some space."

A growl to his side drew his attention from the others fleeing from Suki's raised eyebrow. Still clinging to his arm, was the shivering earthbender. Wait, not shivering, shaking.

"Hey, Toph, it's okay. You can stay. As for you, your highness, you are going to eat and go back to sleep."

"Yes ma'am." His voice was rougher and quieter than usual.

He was also surprised that the bowl handed to him was full of congee covered in spices. Suki chuckled at him, which left him blushing as he ate. He didn't ask for seconds, but as soon as the first bowl was emptied, it was refilled. When he tried to decline the extra food, he received a poke to chest and a milky-eyed glare.

Seconds became thirds, but by then he knew better than to protest. He was just glad he wasn't given fourths. He wasn't sure his shrunken stomach could hold anymore rice porridge.

Then it was time for him to team up with Suki to get Toph to eat. She seemed to go green at the thought of consuming food herself. To distract her from her apparent, but denied, nausea, they started talking.

In all honesty, Zuko couldn't remember the stories he told, just that they centered around Uncle and were from after he was banished. Suki talked about the Kyoshi warriors, which led to the story about Sokka in a dress, which caused the little earthbender to turn bright red as she shoveled the last of her food in her mouth.

He sent a questioning look at the other girl, who was grinning mischievously. Before he could stop her, Suki started telling him the story about the last time Toph almost drowned. It was quite a tale.

"- and then she said "Oh Sokka! You saved me!" planting me with a kiss. When I let her know it was me and not Sokka, she said, "Oh. You can go ahead and let me drown now." As if I actually would."

Zuko wasn't sure how to process Toph having a crush on the nonbender only for her to end up kissing the Other nonbender. The girl had buried her face in his side right before the part where she hit the water and now she was grumbling unintelligibly into his shirt. Suki seemed to be having a grand time at the girl's expense. 

"Now she can say she has shared a kiss with both of us."

'Oh no…'

"WHAT!?"

The earthbender almost had the other half of their group rushing back into the tent, but the smirking Kyoshi warrior left the two of them there to stew in embarrassment while she talked to the original trio about what had happened. That left the two of them blushing deeply as they tried not to touch each other while not really moving away from where they had been sitting. Eventually the silence inside the tent was too much for the prince, so he explained. 

"It wasn't really a kiss. We both ended up in the water and I found you before they found us. You weren't breathing, so I tried to get air into your lungs. It wasn't… That."

He got a humm in response before she shuffled so she could lean against him.

"I'm still mad you don't take care of yourself. You almost died last night. You didn't tell them you were hurt and cold, and you almost died. Twinkletoes had to breath-bend for you while Sweetness pulled the water and other stuff out of your lungs. You were freezing, then burning up. You freaked out and Suki had to breathe for you until you calmed down."

He hadn't realized it had been that bad. And given that she sounded sad about it instead of angry, Toph understood that. He couldn't fix that now, but he could cheer her up.

"So she kissed me, you kissed her, and I, you know…"

This got the reaction he was hoping for. Toph was grinning even more impishly than Suki had. It was clear she was planning something, but he was getting too tired to worry about how she was going to involve him. He stifled a yawn, but she noticed anyway. 

"Go to sleep Sparky. You're gonna need it." 

Too used to sisters with crazy plans, all he did was nod before laying down and passing out. He trusted those two more than he could remember ever trusting Azula. Toph and Suki were not murdery crazy, just goofy crazy.

'(•V•)'

Sparky being awake and eating settled something in Toph that she couldn't explain. It was almost like a rusty hinge that finally got some oil, the constant irritating noise that you had grown accustomed to was gone and the change is jarring, but welcomed. She wasn't sure what had been bothering her, but it wasn't there to bother her anymore. 

She may have bullied him into eating three servings of Katara's rice slop, but he was clearly still hungry and was too thin. He barely had any padding on him at all back when he met them in the Air temple, but now, he had nothing. He had not been eating enough and exercising too much.

She could hear and feel how full his stomach was, so she signaled Fans not to give him more. She hadn't expected the two of them to then turn on her. The idea of eating that goop right then made her nauseous. 

That was how she ended up getting to hear about how much Sparky cared about Uncle and about Suki and her Fan friends. She hadn't expected to hear about Snoozles in a dress from both of them, but now she wanted to feel that for herself as she shoved the last of porridge into her mouth. Then came the story that she had thought and hoped she would never hear told.

She distracted herself from her embarrassment by trying to fully focus on Sparky and how his chest sounded better, but was still a little crackly. She had tuned out most of Suki's words, but she could feel how Sparky reacted to what had happened. Then she heard two things that caused her to question her senses.

The first was Fans saying Sparky had kissed her, which she never remembered happening. The second was the quickening of Sparky's pulse in a way that confirmed that it had actually happened. So she may have yelled loud enough to cause the others to all flinch, but who cared when she apparently had been kissed by the guy she thought of as an older brother. 

Suki felt smug to Toph as she left to calm Sugar Queen, Snoozles, and Twinkletoes. Given the heat coming from her face and the person beside her, she knew they were both blushing. She wasn't sure how to ask about it, so she focused on eavesdropping on the conversation outside. It was most about getting them to eat and the stories they told. Eventually, Sparky caved to the silence and explained.

She hadn't known he had been thrown off Appa too. It explained how he had breathed in water too and why he had gotten so cold. She had assumed his ribs had been from his fight with his sister and she had missed it when she had been yelling at him.

She acknowledged what he said and moved to lean on him so he wouldn't move and hurt himself more. She had realized that he was so protective before, but after that revelation and his Uncle stories, it was pretty obvious. He wasn't careless, per se, just so protective that he forgot to worry about himself. 

"I'm still mad you don't take care of yourself." 

Like not eating enough and doing too much. 

"You almost died last night. You didn't tell them you were hurt and cold, and you almost died." 

If she hadn't woken up when she did, they likely would have woken to find a corpse in that tent.

"Twinkletoes had to breath-bend for you while Sweetness pulled the water and other stuff out of your lungs."

It had terrified her, not knowing if she had gotten him help quick enough. 

"You were freezing, then burning up."

Hypothermia was bad. A fever right after was worse because he had used up so much energy getting warm that he might not have had enough to fight the infection in his lungs.

"You freaked out and Suki had to breathe for you until you calmed down."

She understood why he had been scared. Taking away his ability to control his breathing was like her flying on Appa, deprived of the ability to see and bend. It didn't change the fact it had scared her too. She never wanted to live through something like that ever again. 

She felt his guilt and she wanted to punch it away. It wasn't really even his fault. If anyone, she blamed his crappy dad who sent his crazy sister after him.

"So she kissed me, you kissed her, and I, you know…"

Toph wasn't sure how she had missed the implication of Suki "kissing" Sparky. She grinned as she thought up ways to tease Fans and Snoozles at the same time. There were so many possibilities, especially if she could weaponize Sparky's blush.

It had been a while since he ate, so she wasn't surprised when he started muffling yawns. He was supposed to go to sleep as soon as he was full, but he had stayed up to distract her from the mush she had been muscling down. When she told him to sleep, she felt her heart flutter at how Sparky relaxed and his heartbeat settled down to a steady, calm, peaceful pace.

It was a true sign of trust that he was willing to be vulnerable in front of her and Fans. He had been tight lipped about his past with the others, but had just opened up to them to get her to eat. He had been the closest to happy she had seen him, with the exception of when he made tea for them that one night and right after he got back from meeting the dragons. It felt good to have him be himself, even if it was only when it was just the three of them. 

She was still furious, but it wasn't at him anymore. She would personally make sure his dad and sister regretted making her new brother so self-sacrificing and shy. But until then, she was going to tease the pants off the lovebirds. After all, wasn't that what little sisters were for?


End file.
